Senate Democrats are moving to delay confirmation hearings for some of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks, namely his choice for national intelligence director, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.
Sen. Mark Warner (Va.), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told reporters Tuesday he still has questions about Gabbard’s qualifications after meeting with her this week. Trump tapped the former Hawaii lawmaker for the key intelligence post in November after she diligently campaigned on his behalf and joined the Republican Party in a show of faith.
But intelligence officials have questioned her qualifications, noting she has never worked directly in the field. (She did serve for two years on the House Homeland Security Committee.) Gabbard has also been criticized for spreading Russian propaganda and for her decision to meet with then-dictator Bashar Assad of Syria in 2017.
“I had questions going in,” Warner told reporters on Tuesday, per The Hill. “I have questions coming out. This is an extraordinarily important job. A lot of this … also about protecting the independence of the intelligence community and making sure we continue to have the ability to share classified information with our allies.”
Axios added a key issue for Warner is that the committee doesn’t yet have Gabbard’s FBI background check, ethics disclosure or pre-hearing questionnaire. CNN noted the senator wasn’t directly criticizing Gabbard’s fitness for the job, but said he was working to “do it by the book.”
Still, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), the chair of the Intelligence Committee, attacked Democrats and accused them of delay tactics, saying he intends to move forward with haste to see Gabbard confirmed before Trump’s inauguration later this month.
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“The Intelligence Committee, the nominees, and the transition are diligently working toward that goal,” a spokesperson for Cotton told Axios. “After the terrorist attacks on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, it’s sad to see Sen. Warner and Democrats playing politics with Americans’ safety and our national security.”
It’s unclear when exactly a hearing will take place. But Gabbard already has an active security clearance, meaning the nomination process should be expedited once it begins.